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  Tide to test laundry detergent on ISS

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Author Topic:   Tide to test laundry detergent on ISS
SkyMan1958
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Posts: 1214
From: CA.
Registered: Jan 2011

posted 06-22-2021 11:27 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for SkyMan1958   Click Here to Email SkyMan1958     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
NASA and Tide have teamed up to try to do laundry on the International Space Station according to the Associated Press.
[NASA has] teamed up with Procter & Gamble Co. to figure out how best to clean astronauts' clothes in space so they can be reused for months or even years, just like on Earth.

The Cincinnati company announced Tuesday [June 22] that it will send a pair of Tide detergent and stain removal experiments to the space station later this year and next, all part of the galactic battle against soiled and sweaty clothes.

AstronautBrian
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Posts: 310
From: Louisiana
Registered: Jan 2006

posted 06-22-2021 02:57 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for AstronautBrian   Click Here to Email AstronautBrian     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
To be honest, this is something I've never really thought about before.

How do they wash clothes on the ISS?

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 48697
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 06-22-2021 03:36 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
collectSPACE
Tide to develop first laundry detergent for astronauts' clothing on space station

Future astronauts may not need to worry about moon dust and Mars soil stains thanks to an effort by Tide to develop a laundry detergent for use in space.

The Procter & Gamble (P&G) laundry brand has partnered with NASA to explore how to clean astronauts' clothes aboard the International Space Station (ISS), as well as on future crewed missions to the moon and Mars. Under the terms of the new Space Act Agreement, NASA may study Tide's cleaning solutions, while the company works to bring the lessons from its off-planet tests to its line of everyday consumer products for use on Earth.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 48697
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 06-22-2021 03:36 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by AstronautBrian:
How do they wash clothes on the ISS?
They don't. From our article:
Like the hundreds of astronauts and cosmonauts who have lived in space before them, the crew members on the International Space Station do not have the ability to clean their clothes. Research has been done using antimicrobial fabrics to combat body odors, but in general, space station residents wear the same clothes several times before discarding them for a new set.

In total, 160 pounds (72.5 kg) of clothing per crew member per year are launched to station.

cfreeze79
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Posts: 466
From: Herndon, VA, USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 06-29-2021 01:08 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for cfreeze79   Click Here to Email cfreeze79     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Must... have... patch!!!

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 48697
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 07-14-2022 10:04 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
ISS National Lab release
Procter & Gamble to Launch Tide Laundry Detergent Research on SpaceX CRS-25

Here on Earth, environmental challenges like water scarcity and climate change are a growing concern. Procter & Gamble (P&G), a brand of household products used by more than half of the world's population, has committed itself to making eco-friendly and sustainable products for consumers on Earth. To that end, P&G has turned its gaze to space.

Above: Kristi Niehaus, a Proctor & Gamble (P&G) scientist, uses chili sauce to create a stain that will be used to test Tide detergent solution onboard the International Space Station. (P&G)

As part of SpaceX's upcoming 25th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission, P&G is launching an investigation that will evaluate how its Tide to Go Pens and Tide to Go Wipes work in space. The study, sponsored by the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory, is a continuation of P&G's space-based research, which has already taken initial steps toward improved products for consumers.

The microgravity environment of the space station provides a unique platform to study how fluids interact with each other on a fundamental level. Many of P&G's products are emulsions, which are tiny drops of liquids dispersed in another fluid, and better understanding how the different fluid components interact can lead to improved products.

In December 2021, P&G sent samples of one of those products — a fully degradable launch detergent called Tide Infinity — to the ISS. The goal of that investigation was to advance cleaning solutions for resource-constrained environments like space and even areas on Earth where water is scarce. Additionally, it evaluated how well the components of the detergent held up in the microgravity environment.

According to P&G, initial results have shown that Tide Infinity could provide a good balance between cleaning clothes effectively while also being environmentally friendly. The findings also indicate that leftover water produced from washing could be recycled and even reused with the help of water reclamation systems.

Above: The batch of Proctor & Gamble (P&G) Telescience Investigation of Detergent Experiments (PGTIDE) will study how stain removal ingredients in Tide To Go Pens and Tide To Go Wipes perform in microgravity. (P&G)

The company's latest investigation launching on SpaceX CRS-25 is part of an effort to evaluate the stain removal ingredients in P&G's Tide To Go Pens and Tide to Go Wipes. The investigation's main objective is to evaluate the stain removal ingredients and performance in microgravity. The team hopes to better understand the fundamentals of how fluids wick into and interact with woven fibers, which could provide insights that will lead to better products.

"We are incredibly excited to send these products to space," said Jennifer Ahoni, director of scientific communications at P&G. "Our goal is to provide our customers with the most effective products while also making those products more sustainable." According to Ahoni, the crew will perform stain application and removal activities by applying 10 different "fresh stains" commonly found on the orbiting laboratory to polycotton swatch samples and then remove the stains using the Tide To Go Pens and Tide To Go Wipes. The crew will also test "aged stains" that were applied to swatches prior to launch.

"One of the things we will be testing is sriracha hot sauce," Ahoni said. "We know the astronauts tend to use a lot of it on their food, so we will be using it to test our products and see how they fare in microgravity."

Videos and photos will be taken during the investigation to help researchers understand how microgravity affects the movement of the detergent through the Tide To Go Pen compared with how it flows on Earth. Additionally, the research team seeks to evaluate the efficacy of amine oxides — a family of common surfactants used in emulsions such as laundry detergent to decrease the surface tension between two substances. The team will examine how well the amine oxides in the detergent work on stain removal and determine the relationship between the amount of detergent solution applied and its efficacy.

Data collected from this investigation will help the P&G team learn more about the stability of cleaning ingredients under microgravity conditions and radiation exposure in space. In doing so, the company hopes to gain insights that could improve the production of Tide products for consumers on Earth. Results could also further knowledge on the development of laundry detergent solutions to support future long-duration spaceflight missions.

SpaceX CRS-25 is targeted for launch from Kennedy Space Center no earlier than July 14 at 8:44 p.m. EDT. This mission will include more than 15 ISS National Lab-sponsored payloads.

mode1charlie
Member

Posts: 1344
From: Honolulu, HI
Registered: Sep 2010

posted 07-14-2022 04:49 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for mode1charlie   Click Here to Email mode1charlie     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
This is super. Solving for space (inherent water scarcity problem) also solves for Earth (emerging water scarcity problem).

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